Cookies, Camp-outs and Crushes
by NightLocker
Summary: Blake makes a bet with Yang over a bake off between Ren and Weiss, causing a new tradition between to start between her and Yang. Cuteness follows. Set between vol 2 and 3 somewhere.
1. Chapter 1

Weiss would have never. Not in a thousand years.

It was impossible.

If she did, that would have been the worst thing she could have done.

And she would know, she had to.

Blake had only confided in her best friend. Or, second best. You know how your second best friend is the one you can talk to about specific things? Well, this was very specific. Something she wouldn't let her best friend know, she wouldn't let Yang know if she could help it.

If Weiss had let it slip to Ruby, who now stood in a very unstill, very mobile manner, then who knows if Yang knew?

"Blake?" Her name broke through her thoughts, breaching her state of panic. She locked eyes with Ruby, who now looked at her with concern.

They were the only two in their room, Yang and Weiss off somewhere else. Yang probably in the gym, warming up or working out. Weiss, odds are she was either rooting around inside a teachers head for ways to exceed expectations, or was in the study hall, grooming her knowledge.

"Uh, sorry, what did you say?" Blake never had actually heard what Ruby had said, just processed a nervous Ruby that was standing in front of her and when to the worst possibility.

Ruby huffed a little, bashful, before toeing the ground then turned towards her bed. "Never mind, just forget it."

Blake blinked, her bow flicking over her ears. Her amber eyes widened before squinting. "Ruby Rose, are you crushing on somebody?"

There was no response, just a flash of red before her top bunk was suddenly very unsteady with the sudden weight that was applied to it. Silver eyes peeked out from under the covers, over the edge of the red bed sheet. "Maybe."

A grin wormed it way into Blake's heart and poker face. "Would you like to tell me who?"

Ruby groaned a long, somewhat pitiful groan, but otherwise teasing one. "Kiiindaaaaa." She rolled over, flipping the comforter off of her. "But only if-"

"If I don't tell him, on my honour Ruby, I will not tell."

A mumbled response that was so distorted came back, not even Blake's cat ears could understand. Ruby's silver gaze rotated back to meet Blake's.

"If you want to tell me, I have to understand what you say."

The silver eyes closed shut tight, before Ruby rubbed her hands down her face slowly. Splitting open her middle and ring finger, she looked through at Blake with one eye. "I said, it's not a he."

 _Oh._ "Oh."

"...that's it?"

"Well...huh."

"You're oh so helpful."

"...Does that mean you're not gonna tell me who?"

"Tell you who what?" Weiss's higher tone voice cut between Ruby and Blake. Their leader's eyes split wide open, as she slowly turned back to lay down.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Just talking about who makes my favourite cookies."

Blake had picked up on the very obvious indication, a grin splitting very wide on her face. "Yes, I'm convinced it's Ren, but didn't you mention that you've had baking experience, Weiss?"

Weiss narrowed her eyes. "...Yes, I have."

Blake turned towards her bed where her book rested, where she had at some point discarded it to stand to talk with Ruby. "Settles it then, I'll go arrange for you and Ren to have a small bake off, to find out who can make the best batch of cookies." Blake picked up her book, heading towards the door. "Obviously there can only be one judge, there's only one person in this school credible enough with cookies to be given such a role."

Ruby sat up in her bed, looking much more alive, and much less concerned. "I look forward to seeing what skills you can bring to the table, Weiss."

"This is absurd, what, no, we don't have time for a cook off-"

"Bake off, Weiss."

"Bake off, whatever, I'm not doing it."

A knock sounded on the door. Blake opened it wide, exposing a Nora who held Ren from his waist, resting on her hip. _She's carrying him around like a bag of flour._ "Ren has accepted the terms!"

"Terms? What-"

"Good to hear, Nora. Weiss'll be there."

"Excellent! The bake off begins at eight! It will be a perfect evening snack! The two competitors have time to prepare until then!"

"Sounds perfect Nora." Blake shut the door as the ginger dashed off, Ren still feebly dangling from her arms, calmly asking Nora to be careful.

"Weiss!" Ruby now stood dutifully atop her bunk bed, posed like a hero on the frontlines. "Now is not a time for lollygagging!"

"Lollygag-, Ru-"

"Enough! We must prepare your ingredients for the bake off!"

"I'm not going shoppi-"

"We leave!" Ruby dashed, scooping Weiss before booking off down the hallway, likely towards the airship to take them into Vale.

Blake looked at her watch. It was six-thirty. There was an hour and a half until the bake off.

But there was one person missing. And this was something that she would want to see.

In minutes Blake stood inside the doors of the training hall, several students occupying the space. Cardin and his posse stood at the bench press. Or, more accurately, he lay on the bench, while the other three stood above his head and to the sides. Rolling her eyes, she strode past them, past Fox Alistar from team CFVY, who was sparring with Jaune. Pyrrha stood in the blond's corner.

Exchanging a nod with the spartan, Blake continued to where Yang stood, practising a two on one situation. Squared up against Yatsuhashi, and surprisingly enough, Velvet, Yang pressed on. Velvet knew that her ability wasn't in her strength, and from watching her, Blake found herself awestruck of the precision that replaced that power. Each strike aimed for tendons, nerve ends, weaker joints and pressure points. Few were curled fists, most actually extended in a spear hand, dashing in and out.

Yatsuhashi on the other hand, knew that if he landed a hit, it could do damage. Especially in a semblance free session, such as this. Even their Aura's were down, only allowing themselves their actual physical limits. He swung, not wildly, but very controlled. Slower, but significantly more powerful. The combination of VY was a dangerous one, fast and slow, weak and strong, precise and controlled.

Yang, the embodiment of her name truly, a sunny dragon, did what dragon's did best.

Destroy.

Being the combination of the best of both worlds, fast and precise, thanks to her fathers insistent training, as well as strong and controlled, benefits of her personal training and work out. Facing down the monolith and the bunny, they couldn't stand next to the dragon.

Okay, that's exaggerating. They all did very well. Several of Velvet's strikes landed, one making Yang drop her guard. She nearly didn't dodge Yatsu's swing, and when he struck again, she was lucky she had recovered in order to block.

The senior students were clearly putting Yang through the grinder, their experience and teamwork showing through. Yatsu swung high, making Yang duck, right into Velvet's short knuckle strike, right into her solar plexus. Yang coughed, heaving, and desperately waiting for her breath to return, all the while failing to block Yatsu's strikes. The first was a blow that struck hit her kidney, buckling her legs, from there he grabbed her and tossed her into the other side of the ring.

Yang caught herself and began counting. Watching. Counting. Watching. Counting.

Vel moved first, ducking straight for Yang's knee with a sliding hook kick. Going down, Yang waited for Velvet to grab. When she felt her shirt get gripped, she latched on to the wrist launching her elbow forward, landing center of Velvet's chest, who took a gasp for air.

Yang, her own wind finally returning, stood and faced Yatsuhashi, who's hand was decending. Yang seeing a small opening, pointed her own hand into a spearhand, thrusting it up for his armpit. Striking several nerves, Yatsu's arm lost immediate momentum, falling uselessly on Yang's back. Sweeping her arm back, Yang stuck her right foot behind his left, sweeping it back and up into the air. She decked his off balance and partially airborne body with a clothesline, also winding him from landing flat.

Turning to face Velvet who'd now recovered, she caught the incoming long knuckle punch, before twisting her arm and tripping the faunus to now fall harshly on Yatsuhashi's stomach, winding him again. Locking her arm behind the rabbit faunus' back, Yang had one question. "Do you give?"

"Oooouch! Yes we give, Yang." Vel had her face scrunched up, has her free hand furiously tapped on the ground. "You win this time!"

Yang grabbed Velvet by her shoulders, pulling her up and off of Yatsuhashi, who was shaking the last of the winding off. "Good spar, you guys nearly get me every time."

"This is the second time you've won." Yatsu's deep voice vibrated through the air. He stood now, his green undershirt and black sweatpants making his bulking form somehow look bigger. "You're not free of bruises yourself."

"Second time of twenty three, back to back!" She pounded her fist into her palm. "Thats the signs of you guys loosing your advantage, I'd bet against you guys beating me again. And these?" She gestured to the scraps that she had after the spar. "Those are practically not there."

Velvet glanced at Yatsuhashi, who returned it, amusement flickering. "Very well Yang, we'll change things up next time."

Yang's confidence didn't waver. "Sounds exciting." Her teeth flashed, a wicked grin spreading across her face.

Blake stepped up, draping her arms over the ropes of the ring. "Know what else sounds exciting? The Weiss and Ren bake off."

"A bake off?" Velvet questioned. "Of what?"

"Let me guess." Yang pointed at Blake, who was looking back with nothing but amusement. "It's cookies."

Blake faked a gasp of astonishment. "How did you know?" Leaning back towards Yang with a popped eyebrow in a challenge, Blake asked another question. "Can you guess why?"

"A mixture of Nora and Ruby."

"Ruby is the only judge, Nora just happened to be nearby." _When I may or may not have made it up on the spot._ "They're all in town right now, shopping. It happens at eight."

Yang guffawed. "Of course Ruby is the sole judge. Did Ren even argue with Nora?"

"He was busy, dangling from her arms where she had him tucked under like he was a child."

Yang let out a loud bark of laughter, Velvet nearby chuckling and even Yatsuhashi had a grin on his face. "Sounds about right." Facing the second years, Yang thanked them before facing Blake again. "Imma get cleaned up, give me fifteen?" She jabbed a thumb at the change room.

Blake held up her book from earlier. "No problem."

Ten minutes into the fifteen, Blake's scroll blipped into existence, a text lighting up the screen.

 _WS: What was that?_

 _Me: Gotta admit, this is going a lot better than I hoped._

 _WS: Did you seriously plan this. If so, I am having choice words with you._

 _Me: Didn't plan it. Was have a talk with Ruby, but I didn't want to give her any more nerves, so out of humor I said the bake off thing. But then Ruby was all for it. And well Nora was just being herself._

 _WS: You're very lucky Nora has ears for her ears, specifically waiting for anyone to mention Ren's name._

 _Me: Super lucky._

 _Me: Gotta admit I had a scare earlier. Ruby kinda cornered me a little, but I immediately had the worst case scenario in my head where you told her._

 _WS: You're more crazy than I thought. Sure, Ruby is our leader and friend but thats_ definitely _something that only you're allowed to tell people._

 _Me: Thank's Weiss, I appreciate it._

 _WS: While we're on the subject, have you talked to her at all about it?_

 _Me: Not a chance, however, she is coming to the bake off._

 _WS: Blake, you will be my downfall._

 _WS: In all seriousness, do you think you'll do anything about it?_

 _Me: No idea. In real life, are you more likely to approach them about it, or wait to see how interested they are before you try?_

 _WS: I'd think that approaching them about it would be best. It's normal to have a crush, and crushes either pass or grow. Neither will interfere with our team work._

"'Kay Blake, thanks for waiting!"

 _Me: Thanks Weiss. Gotta go. See you at 8._

 _WS: Good riddance._

Blake looked up into the brilliantly lilac irises. "I'm always willing to wait. Especially with a book in hand."

"So it wasn't just because the most fabulous person you know was coming?"

Rolling her eyes, Blake stood, shouldering her bag and putting away her book. "That's certainly a plus."

"So." Yang clapped her hands together, leading the way back up towards the co-ed dorm hall. "Who do you think will win?"

Blake scoffed. "Weiss is probably excellent, but if Ren's cookies are like his pancakes, victory is his."

"Do you like his pancakes more than mine?" Yang threw up a horrified expression. "My sister excels in what I do so much, she jumps to the same year as me, and my partner betrays me for another man's pancake?" She scoffed playfully. "What is this world coming to, honestly."

"Even with your years of making them for Ruby, there's something so special about his Yang. I'm sorry, it's just so much better."

"Bah-humbug." Yang waved it off. "You're probably right though, but I've got a good feeling about Weiss. I'll put fifteen lien on the Ice Queen."

Blake nearly guffawed at the blonde. "Are you serious?" She stuck her hand out. "Deal. But I'm putting twenty on Ren."

Yang grasped her hand firmly. "I'll match the twenty as well on Weiss. And a free movie of the winners choosing."

Blake finished the shake. "Agreed. That new _Revenger's_ movie looks pretty fun. For you."

Yang grinned wildly. "I've been waiting for that to come out, was planning on seeing it this weekend." Resuming their walk, she continued. "That new Landra Ullock movie about the blind dates looked good." She prodded Blake's side, squeezing a yelp from the faunus. "For you, at least."

Shielding her sides with her hands and leaning away from her partner, Blake scowled. "Sounds like we have our selections made." The frown transformed into a grin. "Can't wait for my money and movie date."

Yang laughed. "It's a plan. Winner gets a paid movie date, to a film of their own choosing, with the loser."

"Sounds wonderful." Blake hadn't smiled this much in a long time, and it felt like it was just growing bigger and bigger. All these jokes, they had been the type that Blake had shied away from, with anyone who tried them. Except Yang. The girl had certainly wedged her way into Blake's life in an unusual way, but she was immensely grateful that destiny had brought them to Beacon together. Because, as Weiss knew, Blake had a _serious_ crush on Yang Xaio Long.

"Kick her butt, Ren!"

"Don't give in, Ice Queen, make the best damn cookies around!"

Yang was her usual enthusiastic behaviour, but oddly enough, Blake was actually cheering on Ren from beside her partner. Like, proper cheering. Clapping him on, shouting words of encouragement, it was very un-Blake.

Nora on the other hand, was practically hovering over the poor boy. Yet somehow she managed to stay far enough away from him in order for him to actually be able to do everything.

In minutes, the dough was completed, chocolate chips mixed in of course. The ovens had been preheated and soon enough, the trays had been loaded up and loaded in, the smell of cookies baking quickly invading the kitchen.

Blake and Yang now leaned with their elbows resting on the counter island. Ruby was hovering over both ovens, peeking inside, visibly drooling. Weiss was tapping her foot impatiently. Ren had taken the unusual posture of sitting on the counter, waiting for the time to pass. Nora buzzed around the entire co-ed room, doing who knows what. Maybe collecting final bets.

The hollering had quieted. It was appropriate since all that was left was to bake for ten or so minutes. And with the volume dampened, so was Blake's overall enthusiasm. Instead, what seeped in was homely. A little festive feeling, but it was November. It was getting colder, and a light blanket of snow had arrived a day ago, just to quickly melt away. But, fires were being started this time of the year. And with the scent of warm, home baked cookies added to the warmth that was radiating from the ovens, it was _cozy_. She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, unaware of how she was leaning into the nearest source of warmth.

"Well, hey there."

Blake, now rather dozy, just opened her eyes and locked on to Yang's lilac ones. She'd come to rest her head on Yang's shoulder, leaning on what had to be a somewhat uncomfortable angle. "Hi." Was the now tired response.

"Oh man, can't even get past the oven warmth can you?"

Blake would've normally scowled. Now, she just lazily, playfully, and gently, smacked Yang on the cheek. "Hush. Are the cookies done yet?"

"Not yet. Don't worry, we'll be seeing the _Revenger's_ soon enough."

"Landra Ullock all the way."

"What's that movie even called?"

"Who cares, she's great."

"Right." Yang nudged her. Lowering her voice, she whispered to Blake's bow. "Ready for the holidays?"

Blake mumbled and gave a content sigh. "Absolutely. Think of the fire's, the bundled up nights, and all the hot tea I'll have."

"Careful, you might lull yourself to sleep thinking like that."

"I've still got a bet to win."

"So sure of yourself, huh?"

"Nora." Blake slapped her hand on the counter, only for the ginger to quickly appear next to the faunus, who was still leaning into Yang.

"Whatsup Blake?"

"Who'll win?"

"My Rennie, duh!"

"Case closed." Blake waved goodbye and just as quickly as she was there, Nora vanished. "It's inevitable Yang."

Rolling her eyes, Yang gazed down at the increasingly tired girl. "When have we ever taken her seriously."

"Fair point."

"...know what I miss about Patch during the holidays?"

A little taken back by the sudden change and the sorrow that tainted her partners voice, Blake was suddenly much more awake at the different topic. "What?"

"The camp outs. We'd do the same if there was a thunderstorm. They started when I was eleven, around the time dad started coming back to us. It was his idea. Ruby woke me up one time, in tears from the thunder. Dad woke up too, not in a stupor and suggested we have a large camp out in the family room." Yang looked up at Ruby, who was still enraptured by the now nearly done cookies. "We stripped the couch of cushions to use as mattresses and even pulled out another mattress from the closet. And the blankets, my god. We used every blanket in the house. An impervious bundle of warmth. We huddled up, got the candles out and had a fire going in the fireplace."

Blake had a rough image of what it was like. Candle lit large room, make shift bedding on the floor for two children and a grown man. That was humorous looking enough. Now, she tripled the amount of blankets and it's image was pure childish joy. The warmth undoubtedly from those blankets and quilts would've been heavenly. However the atmosphere set by the candles, added with the tickling image of a fire, small or large, made the scene just perfect. It was homely, it was cozy, and it was shared with loved ones. "Let's do it."

Yang looked down at the amber eyes gazing back. "You think?"

Blake just grinned. The smiling today, it never ended. "It sounds amazing, Yang."

"I'm positive you'll like it. It was something. And it's certainly something I hope to do with my kids one day."

"It sounds like something worth passing on."

Nora's shout alerted, probably the entire dorm, all those gathered for the bake off. "Results! Get ready everyone. Weiss' cookies are first!"

Refocusing on the red themed girl who sat on the counter, a plate on each side of her, with four cookies each. Picking up the plate from Weiss's side, Ruby picked up a single cookie, inspecting the outside. Even going as far as closing one eye, she inspected the chocolate chips, the delicacy of the exterior, and the colouring. Then she broke it. Pulling it apart gently, chocolate pulled from each side like melted cheese on a pizza. Then, she looked at the inside. Judging the thoroughness of how well it was baked, not too firm, but fluffy. Not too fluffy, soft enough that the cookie didn't disintegrate. Then she bit into one half.

And she _moaned._

"Weiss these are soooo good." Ruby mumbled. She generously gifted herself to the rest of the cookie before looking back at the plate, clearly tempted to go for a second. "Those are really good cookies."

"Not so fast!" Weiss slid the plate away, gesturing to Ren's plate. "Who's are better? You pulled me away from my studies, so you need to tell me whose are actually better."

Ruby nodded somewhat sullenly, turning to look at Ren's cookies, humming in content when she saw them. Picking one up, Ruby began the process again, quickly drawn to how practically golden the entire exterior was. The bottom was normal browned, but not overdone in the slightest. The chocolate chips held firm, but when she poked it, the exterior quickly gave to envelope her finger tip in warm, dark, gooey goodness. Breaking it and pulling it, she got the same reaction as last time, the chocolate pulling itself apart. You could see how soft the cookie was, not a single extra crumb falling, holding together with the cookie. Then she bit into it.

And she froze.

Yang had never seen Ruby freeze at the taste of baking. And she reckoned she never would again. When Weiss snapped her fingers in front of Ruby's eyes, the rest of the cookie was immediately devoured and the second was in her mouth, third and fourth in hand.

"Winner!" Nora held up Ren's hand, who had a small grin.

"No way. Ruby, is it really that good?" Yang reached onto Ren's pan, pulling away a cookie, before taking a generous bite herself. When she stopped chewing for a second she let out a long content sigh. "Oh my Dust." Yang held another two cookies to Weiss and Blake. "You gotta try."

Weiss took one, and as graceful as a Schnee, took a bite. "Oh wow."

Blake took one, bit into it, and immediately was returned to her drowsy state, dreaming of warm fires, delicious cookies, tea and a massive bundle of blankets. With a very, very, content sigh, she lay her head down on the counter before continuing to eat her cookies.

"I haven't had a cookie this good since Summer made us cookies." Yang said, praising Ren for reaching her and Ruby's mother's peak cookie making skills. "There's no better than these."

"Thank you." Ren bowed slightly, taking one of Weiss' before taking a bite. "These are also very good."

"Thank you, but I'll have to get from you the difference."

Ruby fiercely agreed, nodding viciously. "Definitely. As your team leader, I expect you to be making as good of cookies in a matter of days!"

"How well do you remember mom's cooking, Ruby?" Yang asked, still working on her cookie.

"It's one of the biggest things. I'll never forget her hugs, kisses and cookies." Ruby nodded very happily. Sure, she may be gone, but the fact that she just got to relive a little of her past through cooking, washed any sorrow away. Looking at Ren, she sniffed a little brushing away the lone tear that came to her eye. "Ren, seriously thank you. With out realizing it, you've given me a little bit of my mom back."

Ren, suddenly much more aware of what he had unintentionally done, offered a smile. "One of the things I learned from my mother, and perfected, was making cookies."

Yang laughed. "All perfect mothers use the same damn recipe." She held out her cookie. "To moms."

Several hands extended, cookies in hand. "To moms."

"If you ever need a good flash back cookie, Ruby, I'd be happy to make some for you." Ren offered. "Just keep it at a reasonable pace."

Ruby squealed, leaping over to hug the boy. "Thank's Ren!"

Blake just looked on, cookie in hand, a sobering thought crossing her mind. _Mom, how are you?_

"A camp out?" Weiss asked. "And where do you suggest we do that?"

"Well," Yang began, having sold Blake already, and at the mention to Weiss and Ruby, the latter already had begun nodding her head, clearly all for a camp out. "We'll just occupy the space in the co-ed hall, by the fire. Shut off the lights, candles up, lots of cushions, and more blankets."

"Seriously Weiss, you'll love it." Ruby encouraged. "I'll talk to Goodwitch about occupying the space for a night."

"Do it tomorrow, it's getting late."

"Right."

Weiss looked at Blake. "And you're for this?"

"Honestly, I was sold at candles, so when the blankets and fire came up, it was just bonus'."

Signing, before looking at Yang, she agreed. "Alright, but, you'll make the fire, and Ruby does not touch the lighter."

"Deal."

"Hey!"

Blake tapped Yang on the shoulder, cutting off any jab she had for Ruby. "Ahem." She held out her empty palm, expectantly.

"Wha-? Oh. Right, that." Yang reached into her back pocket, pulling out her wallet, a small smile on her face. "Always trust Blake's gut from now on." She placed two ten lien notes in the faunus' awaiting palm.

Weiss turned on Blake now. "Did you really bet against me? Your own partner and friend?"

Blake scoffed. "Please, you've eaten his pancakes, did you really think you could win?"

"Oooooh." Ruby reacted in the corner. "Gotcha there."

Weiss blew a raspberry before smiling a little. "Got me there."


	2. A Camp-Out

Ruby had moved as quick as her semblance, getting the all-clear from Goodwitch who had made it explicitly clear that she needed at least a full days notice before occupying the dorm hall space for a night. It was now Friday, the day of the camp out.

And Blake could not wait.

She felt like this was a bigger connection to Ruby's and Yang's past. But the way that Yang talked about it, it had to be something more than just a group family thing.

It had been decided already, Blake would be closest to the fire, with Yang beside her. Opposite, Weiss needed to be closest to the fire, because "if anything can warm the cold heart, it'll be a blazing fire." Yang's words, not Weiss'. Ruby would be beside her, enclosing her to ensure that the Ice Queen would be feeling the warmth tonight.

The scavenge for extra pillows was unnecessary. However, the blankets were in demand. Up and down the hallways, Yang and Ruby collected as many as they could, not limiting themselves to the first and second years, actually communicating with the third years for the first time. The fourth years were off limits though, they weren't even in the same building.

It took two hours of up and down the halls and floors, collecting and retrieving before heading back out for more. In the end, they had five pillows each, fifteen blankets and three quilts, and two colossally large quilts that each pair would share.

The couches had been stripped of the cushions that could be removed and two mattresses had been brought out. One of them specifically for Weiss, who refused anything that would not give her back the 'proper' support.

The blankets were spread out in a neat way, but were still piled absurdly high. The childishness of the whole thing was rubbing off onto Blake, who was just getting antsy to enjoy the whole thing.

The candles were next. Around twenty candles were spread out around the girls, with any obstacles or flammable objects pushed out and away. When the lights were turned off, and candles lit, the air was set with a cozy feeling. Blake saw Weiss, the Ice Queen herself, visibly sigh, deflating and relaxing as the aesthetically pleasing setting warmed her mind. And then the fire was lit, not a roaring blaze obviously, just a small, well fed flame, matching the pleasing tone the candles set.

Finally, the drinks were brought out. And nobody argued when Ruby suggested a warm mug of hot chocolate.

It was perfect. Yang and Ruby both relived memory lane as Blake and Weiss created new memories with their new family.

The talking went on for hours, carrying on from Friday into Saturday. Weiss exchanged a few tales that the Atlesian's told their kids, one being a spooky story that apparently, her older sister once used in their younger years. Hearing it now, it was childish and funny. Blake shared two faunus exclusive tales, ones that didn't make sense to share if you were a human, but still were good for a group, regardless of the race. Yang and Ruby each pulled out their own stories, talking about their childhood in the woodlands of Patch.

It was home. Blake loved it. Truly. Nothing at Beacon had quite been as satisfying as this.

When they all turned over to sleep finally, buried under layers of blankets, the fire now dead but candles still lit, Blake listened to each one of her team drift in the abyss of sleep. Weiss' relaxed breathing became more so, Ruby's evened out and steadied, Yang's remained strong and full breaths, but somehow softer.

"Yang." Blake nudged her partner as she whispered. "Can I talk to you? Yaaang?" She softly sang into the blonde's ear.

"Hmmm. Whatsup?" Yang said a little too loudly, turning over to face Blake. "Can't sleep?"

"I will, I just want to talk to you one on one first." A little guilt crept up. "Sorry, but you good?"

Yang blinked and rubbed her eyes open. "Yea, sure." Refocusing on the faunus, she peeked out her eyes, the lilac shimmering and swimming around. "What's up?"

"I actually wanted to ask you about the camp outs from when you were kids. They weren't just fun, nor were they memory lane kind of things. I can see it. It's something else as well."

"...Well, as I said, they started up when dad worked on being a dad again." Her eyes opened more, and she shifted fully onto her side, facing Blake. "It is more than just memories, it's something that helped heal our family too. We cried a lot during those camp outs. We missed mom a lot, and still do, but with our father back, it wasn't just me that Ruby could cry to. I could cry too. I healed a lot from Summer's death. I was delayed years of the proper grieving, but when these started, Ruby turned to dad quickly, and I did too." Yang took a deep breath. "And each time I do one of these, I heal a little bit more. Just like Ren's cookies from Wednesday, those healed me and Rubes a little too."

Blake now understood. Of course. Yang had finally had someone to turn to and cry to in those times. "I imagine it was quite overwhelming the first time."

"You have no idea. I cried it all out of me, and then dry cried for the next hour. The headache I had was several time worse than any hangover I've had." Her soft lilac eyes blinked shut. "It was worth it though. And I understand to some degree why my father shut down so badly. Finding out that my real mother abandoned me was hard, finding out Summer died was worse. I can't imagine if it was the person I loved abandoned me and our family, then it happened again, except they were dead and gone, not just disappeared."

Blake reached over and grasped Yang's hands, holding them in her own. When Yang's eyes met hers again, she spoke. "We all love you here, and rest assured that we won't be leaving you of our own choosing anytime soon."

"Thanks Blake." The smile shone through the dark.

"Get some rest, Yang." Blake winked. "You still owe me that movie date."

A short laugh bit through the quiet of the night, causing Ruby to groan a little. Quieting down, Yang grinned back sleepily. "I'm sure it'll be a night to remember."

Blake was quivering, not in fear, but in excitement, anticipation. It had been one week since said over nighter on the dorm hall floor. It was also the established day for Blake to claim her reward, a movie date with Yang.

Dressed casual, but outstanding, Blake waited in the hall for Yang, hoping to shock her a little when she came out. Her sleek and form fitting black pants were matched with flat sole boots that climbed up her calves. She wore a black undershirt, covered with a comfortably open purple and black plaid button up. Slung in the crook of one arm, she carried a white fall jacket with a purple lining and accenting.

When the door opened, Yang had two repeating expressions. Intrigue and surprise. "Well, damn, Belladonna, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're looking to expand this into a second date already."

Blake's ear's burned, but she refused to let it reach her cheeks. "We'll you're looking keen yourself, what with that crop top when its barely ten degree's outside."

Yang had indeed chosen a crop top, however not her usual yellow one. Yellow still, but no emblem, and her midriff was mostly exposed, but not entirely. Obviously she did have her leather jacket as well. This one being heavier, more insulated. She wore a orange neck warmer as well. Her boots were yellow laced and orange accented among the brown leather, blending smoothly into her brown pants.

Firing a wink and a finger gun at the faunus, Yang struck a pose. "Come along, pretty lady. We'll be late otherwise." She approached before jutting her elbow out, offering her arm.

Rolling her eyes, Blake accepted before being gently lurched forward, suddenly moving faster as Yang opted to skip down the hall.

"Keep up!" Yang's smile cut through the tiniest amount of annoyance Blake had for the sudden movement, encouraging Blake's feet to carry her the same.

Of course, Blake had told Weiss about the other portion of the bet. The heiress had smiled and was clearly getting more and more invested into Blake's feelings for Yang. Her eyes had a little spark to them, making Blake curious if it was a good idea to tell her in the first place.

" _Blake, you need to take her to the movie she wants to see."_

" _I was thinking of something down the middle-"_

" _Dolt, you need to show her that you're more willing to do things that are fun for her, than you. Put her before you, obviously don't do it all the time, just specific times, and this is one of those."_

This was how Blake ended up standing in front of the theatre, cutting Yang off as she was ordering tickets.

"We'll take two for the new Landra-"

"Two for _Revenger's_."

" _Twenty-two lien, please."_

Yang glanced at Blake, who grinned happily at Yang and nudged her forward, gesturing to the high school student who was clearly struggling to get through his shift. "You sure, Blake, I thought you didn't want to see it?"

"Well, if I want to see another one, I'll watch it later, for now let's do this." Blake grinned.

Yang grinned before shrugging. "Twenty-two lien..." Fishing it out, she slid it under the glass, taking the two tickets in exchange.

Blake grabbed her hand, the shorter girl leading them towards the theatres. Yang handed over the tickets, before receiving the stubs. And then, Blake took over again, leading them straight to the theatre where the new _Revenger's_ movie was playing. Once they were sat down, Blake shuffled herself towards the arm rest that separated her and Yang, claiming it for herself.

"Did you really take the centre arm rest on our first date?" Yang whispered in a dramatically horrfiied way. "Without even offering it to me?"

"Man, you're taking this date talk a lot more seriously than I expected." Blake fired right back, a grin seeping through.

Yang stumbled, though for only a second, it did happen. "Pfff. And who's the one who opted for my movie genre?"

"Who says I don't like action, adventure, comedy's?"

"Your literature."

"It's adventure!"

"If adventure translates to sex in your dictionary then, yea, I guess."

"There's more to it!"

"That is the first time I haven't heard you argue about the smut."

"...A lady has her desires."

"Oh my god, are we seriously having a kink talk here?"

"We will speak no more of this." Blake's blush had absolutely crawled up her neck and infected her face with a cherry red hue.

Yang laughed, just as the lights dimmed for the movie. "Oh, but we definitely will."

 _Shit._

"Well, I can't say that I'm disappointed with the movie."

"See, I knew it wouldn't be that bad. Super hero movies are fun. Faster, a little sloppy sure, but fun and cool."

Blake nodded, oddly grateful for the odd mixture of a moderate to good story, slapped with a short time frame and partnered with action and comedy. "It definitely was something."

"I'm glad we went." Yang nudged Blake with her elbow as they stepped out of the theatre, beginning their walk back a few blocks to where the Bulkhead took would take them back to Beacon.

Blake's scroll buzzed in her pocket after she hummed her agreement. It was Weiss.

 _WS: Are you going to tell her?_

 _Me: I doubt this is the time._

 _WS: You two are some of the closest people ever, if now, after a date, isn't the time, when is?_

 _Me: It wasn't THAT kind of a date._

 _WS: It was for you._

That made Blake halt. Because it sure was. Blake had felt like she was on cloud nine, living the dream. Only thing, her and Yang weren't actually dating, but Blake had let the illusion in, if only for a few minutes.

"What's Weiss got to say?" Yang's voice cutting in, making Blake pocket her scroll.

"Nothing very helpful."  
"Aww. You having some problems there Blakey?"

"No, not yet." _Only one._

Yang clapped her hands together. "Oh, are you about to ask Sun out?"

Blake scoffed before laughing. "No, as good as it is to have another Faunus around, he's what I feel like my brother would be like, if I had one."

"Do you have any siblings?"

Blake slowed at that, her thoughts going back to Ghira and Kali, whom she left in order to stay in the White Fang. "No, just the parents."

Yang hesitated to carry on. If Blake's wording was true, it implied that her parents weren't only alive, but it confirmed that Blake had run away from them. "...So, I'm gonna go straight for the big question here..."

 _Oh no. "_ Uh, Yan-"

"Those books..."

 _oh. OH._ "Please, Yan-"

"Are they any good?"

 _What?_ "...What?"

"Well, you read them a lot, are they actually good, or are they just something to steam you up?"

Blake pushed aside the crassness of Yang's wording, before defending her favourite, uh, literature. "Of course there's a developed and developing story in them. Everything else is just a...uh, a...bonus." Blake flushed deeply, turning away a little.

Yang's deeper chuckle shook through her thoughts. "I'll just stick to my magazines I think."

Blake's mind when straight to the gutter. "You do not have porn mag's in our dorm." _No way._

Yang's eyes only twinkled in response. "Well, maybe not your kind of stuff..."

 _No fucking way._ "I cannot believe we are actually having a kink talk."

Yang actually moved closer, maintaining brushing distance from Blake as they walked. "No better time since we're away from Ruby and Weiss." Then the whisper came. "But who said that they were porn mags?"

Blake just flushed deeper again. She could swear that her bow had actually incinerated with how hot all of her ears felt. "Hush."

"I'm joking. They are." Yang winked when Blake looked back up. "A lady has her desires."

They both let out a laugh, walking up to the boarding station. "How has Ruby not found them, let alone Weiss?"

"I've got a couple special spots." Yang turned to Blake. "Like how I know about your exclusively special stash."

Blake locked up a little at that, playful unease streaming in. "No."

The grin grew. "I was very surprised to find a literal zipper inside of your mattress."

"How on earth did you find that."

"I was doing our bed sheets, did you install that while we were all in class or something?"

Blake nodded sheepishly. "Yea."

"There's a fucking lock on that zipper, Blake."

"I know, it's my favourite book."

"Not sure if the school will want that mattress after we're done in there." Yang paused, then wiggled her eyebrows furiously at Blake.

The innuendo landed and Blake only laughed. Then her scroll buzzed again.

 _WS: Well?_

 _Me: Yes it was like that for me, it was amazing._

 _WS: Please for the love of Oum, tell the girl._

 _Me: Why are you doing this, Weiss?_

 _WS: Because you're already being too hard on yourself. Yang's not the kind of person to let you just be an awkward friend if she doesn't like you that way. She'd make you be her friend whether you liked it or not._

 _Me: That's already how I became friends with her._

 _WS: Precisely._

 _Me:...Soon. Not tonight. But soon._

 _WS: Promise?_

 _Me: Promise._

"Weiss just asked if we were on our way back." Blake gave a small fib, just to hide the real reason. "I told her the Bulkhead was almost landed."

Yang nodded, seeing the academy growing bigger as the Bulkhead approached. "This was fun, we should do this regularly. Just us two." She still faced out the window, allowing Blake to have the privacy to grin crazily wide.

"Sounds good, I'd love to." Blake's life just was getting better and better.

"I get to choose the next activity though."

Blake could only agree, getting lost in the thought of being on another date- or, uh, outing with Yang. "I'm fine with whatever."

Yang grinned to herself in the window. "Don't say something you may regret, Blakey."

"Don't make me regret anything, Little Dragon."

Yang turned and faced her friend, mouth open. "Who- what?"

Blake only giggled as her baffled friend scanned her memories, clearly looking for a time where Blake could have found out about her father's name for her. "What's wrong Sunny Little Dragon?"

"Did Ruby tell you?"

Blake held up her scroll and shook it. "I do have the internet, Yang."

"What does Weiss' name mean again?"

"Take a guess."

Yang didn't bother, and just nodded knowingly. Blake only stared.

And longed for it to one day be more.

 **Any feedback is welcome feedback! Thank you for the kind words!**


	3. Crushes Can Bowl?

Yang had the privilege to pick the thing to do on the second night. Blake had chosen the movie, now Yang, she had to choose.

So far, she had narrowed it down to three options; bowling, a small festival that was passing through Vale, or a fireworks display. Admittedly, the two were conjoined as part of the festival, but Yang knew Blake would be burnt out in trying to do both in one night.

And so, Yang found herself down the hall, knocking one a specific door.

"Yang? What's up?" Nora opened the door swiftly, a breeze visibly passing through the room as papers ruffled, blankets lifted, and a poster came off the wall.

Yang chuckled at the sudden upheaval on the lighter objects in the room. "Hey Nora, is Pyrrha in?"

"Pyrrha! Number two wants a rematch!"

Yang scoffed. "Please, we're pretty close. Hard to tell who's even better."

"It's pretty easy." Nora jabbed right back. "Right Ren?"

The boy was sitting at the desk, scribbling notes down. "They are both better than us, Nora."

"That wasn't the question!"

Pyrrha walked in from the bathroom on the side. "Hey Yang. What's up?" She was brushing her dampened hair out, clearly just finishing from her shower.

"Wanna go on a walk? I want to throw something past you, I need another opinion."

Nora jabbed her in the side. "Is it something to do with boys?"

Yang winked. "Good try Nora."

Pyrrha brushed out the end of her pony tail before walking back to the bathroom. "One second, Yang!" A minute later, she emerged with her circlet in place, but apart from that she was in very casual clothing. She actually wore a maroon oversized sweater and had some short shorts on as well. Popping on her slip-on's, she tapped Yang on the shoulder before motioning to the door. "Let's go!"

Yang stood, leaving Nora where they had been sitting, playing a fierce game of rock, paper, scissors, smash. Basically where the winner of the round got to perform the dominating move in the most intense way possible. Rock would literally smash scissors as hard as was possible, paper would cover and try to crush rock with their bare hand, and scissor would have to use their two fingers in a scissor motion in order to inflict the most amount of pain.

Waving goodbye, Yang followed Pyrrha out of the room and into the dorm hall before the conversation truly began.

"So why did you pull me out?" Pyrrha asked. "Got problems with something?"

"Well," Yang began. "I am in a small dilemma."

Pyrrha's eyes flashed in teasing playfulness. "Do share."

"Well, you know about the bet me and Blake made last week right?"

"Of course. Weiss was 'horrified' about how Blake betrayed her."

"Right." Yang laughed. "Well, Blake and I agreed that it was just so much fun, having done the movie thing that we decided that us doing a just us thing on a regular basis would be a great idea."

"Like dating."

Yang laughed again. "Well, I guess, but we're not like that." They turned to walk down the stairs towards the main entrance. "We're just looking to hang out one on one, something I haven't done with any single friend in years."

Pyrrha nodded appreciatively. "It has been quite a while for me as well, I'd admit. But, then again, I also spent the last three years in sponsorship's and shooting commercials and whatnot." She pushed the doors open, the two walking on the path that would snake them through the garden of Beacon.

"Sooo," Yang began again. "I'm asking for your opinion about which would be the better choice for Blake." She listed them on her fingers. "Bowling, the small festival that's passing through, or the fireworks display."

Pyrrha flicked down the middle finger, taking the second option out. "Well, I know we're going to the festival, and if you just want it to be you two, then don't go when we're going I'd suggest."

Yang nodded, now holding up two fingers. "So then its either the fireworks, or bowling."

"Bowling, by far."

Yang looked over a little befuddled. "Why so sure?"

"Do you have a bad bowling memory?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Yang shook her head. "None."

"Exactly. Festivals can always have something go wrong, like a fear of something. Anyway," Pyrrha walked around the incoming jogger. "Any mistakes that are made at a bowling alley, are always something you can laugh off. A slip, a fall, a bad throw." She waved her hand. "If you can go for the glow bowling, always fun."

Yang nodded thoughtfully, taking in the advice. It was true, plus most alleys that had glow bowling also played the latest music videos, which were getting increasingly ridiculous, on screens over head. "Bowling it'll be." Then she turned her playful gaze back on the spartan. "So, how's life with the big man?"

Pyrrha suddenly had doubts about this walk.

Yang searched for Blake, it now being Wednesday. The faunus had, surprisingly, not been in the library. Nor the dorm. The training hall had been empty too. When she checked the dorm hall, for a second time, she hit rock bottom of being baffled. Where else could she be?

Walking back into their room, Yang looked at Weiss thoughtfully before asking. "Do you know where Blake is?"

Weiss didn't look up. "Did you check the roof?" Still scrawling away, making her usual second copy of todays notes.

"The roof?"

Weiss looked up like Yang had grown a second head. "That's her go to spot to read in the evenings."

"Really?"

"It's not uncommon knowledge Yang."

Ruby walked on in, clearly back from a trip to the dorm kitchen. "Hey Yang."

"Ruby, where does Blake go to read in the evenings?" Yang tested.

"Did you check the roof?"

"Seriously?" Yang threw her hands up. "I'm her own partner, and I didn't know about her evening go-to spot?"

Weiss rolled her eyes. "To busy making kissing faces at the _Achieve-Men_ poster."

"You literally saw me do that once."

Weiss waved Yang away, continuing to duplicate her notes. "Work to do."

Yang mimicked it back at her before leaving again, this time heading for the stairs to the roof top.

The rooftop of Beacon's dorm hall was large. What made it better was the intentionally designed balcony on the top, showing the city-scape before having the ocean peak into view, the ships in the harbour visible. The setting sun painted everything in sight, red, orange, pink and purple flooded over glass and concrete alike, setting the city on fire. The green the seemed to vibrate off of the school entered the border of Yang's vision, setting the city of Vale as quite a splash of colour. "Wow."

"Took you a while to find out about this spot."

Yang turned, facing none other than Blake. "I can't believe I never figured out that you had a evening spot, never mind finding out about up here."

Blake turned the page of her book, starting from the top once again. "You never asked. You normally work out after dinner."

It was true, Yang would start of easy, then after twenty minutes, she'd increase the intensity. "That's true."

"So, what brings you knocking on my rooftop?" Amber eyes flicked up from the book they had been staring at.

"Well," Yang began, a smile growing on her face. "Just letting you know, I've decided where we'll be going."

"Oh?" Blake brought the book down to rest on her lap, her bow twitched. "And where have you decided to take me to grace me with your presence?"

 _Oh, this game never get's old._ Yang simply loved play-flirting with friends. The way their skin would crawl and their faces, oh their faces were simply the best. But each flirt, each one added a little jolt of thrill in her life. And she was addicted. "You will adore it. I won't say where, but-" Yang narrowed her eyes with a playful grin. "it will have you _glowing._ "

Blake rolled her eyes. "We're going bowling."

Yang laughed, rather surprised. "Not my most subtle hint, huh?"

"Seriously Yang." Blake grinned widely back at her. "How many places would have me glowing in a literal sense?"

"I hear theres glow in the dark mini-golf."

"Are we going mini-golfing?"

"Hell no."

"Hmph." Blake looked her up and down, eyes widening in a playful manner before turning back to her book. "Not like you could play normal golf, never mind mini-golf."

"Blake, the real question is, why would I- no, why would someone like this," Yang gestured to herself. "Take someone like you to golf for a hangout, much less actually play golf?"

"I can see you playing golf."

Yang barked out a loud laugh. "Pfff. Yeah, right. Am I like fifty in this vision of yours?"

"Looking more like thirty-five, really."

"Well, regardless, be ready. Friday at nine."

Amber eyes flicked back with a warm smile. "I look forward to it."

"And you're paying for it."

The smile grew a little more. "That I am."

Yang returned the smile before waving at the doorway. "I'll see you down there Blake." And with that, Yang shut the door, skipping down the steps.

Friday came pretty quickly, however it just seemed to drag on. And on. And _on_. By the time even lunchtime had come around, Yang was loosing her mind. She'd never been this excited for bowling. She'd had fun with it before sure, but man, she was just quivering with excitement.

The afternoon classes were not quite as bad, thankfully Goodwitch's sparring class was last, which was always entertaining. Especially when Pyrrha faced, well, anybody. Cardin actually volunteered for a one-on-one with the girl, thinking he'd developed someway to get past her. Of course, he was beaten within ten seconds.

Yang herself got to spar Ren, always an interesting fight. However, Ruby's fight against Blake had been something in particularly unique. Blake had quickly become more adapted to Ruby's speed and now was working on predicting Ruby's movement pattern, something only Yang has managed to do. Ruby did use a similar pattern for close quarters, but today was different. Ruby had taken a different approach, a more serious look to her face.

Rather than ducking in and out, delivering a few blows before ducking out to redirect with her speed, Ruby closed the distance as fast as she could, and became a flurry of red and sleek silver death. Crescent Rose was being lobbed around quickly, and more importantly, in complete control in Ruby's hands. Blake had been immediately put on the defensive, using both katana and sheath forms of Gambol Shroud to protect herself.

Ruby never gave her the opportunity to use the pistol form, constantly laying a barrage of strikes at Blake, who struggled to deflect the massive scythe continuously. Ruby on the other hand, carried the momentum of each previous strike into the next.

And then it was won. Yang couldn't believe the tactic, never having seen Ruby do such a thing, certainly not in a practice. Ruby spun after a deflection, carrying the scythe around swiftly, catching Blake inside the blade, her back pressed into the hook of the scythe, the distance minimum. Then Ruby pulled the trigger.

Ruby was required by the school to use blanks of a less explosive round. Same calibre, less gun powder, and no bullet. It had less kick to it, but it still would do it's damage. And it certainly did, Blake suddenly pressed against the blade as she carried it through, eventually throwing Blake, but not without it's damage. The cutting motion and the impact would have been enough to kill a person, had it been Ruby's normal slugs that was fired. It would have cut them in half in fact. For Blake, in this spar, it left her with a measly six left of her aura, which had been standing at a solid fifty before the strike.

"Excellent work Miss Rose." Goodwitch's voice came through the silent classroom, in awe of the devastating attack of the youngest student. "A very lethal blow to a person, never mind an aura-less grimm. I do encourage caution in using said attack as you have demonstrated today. Splendid change of tactic."

Ruby beamed with the praise from the normally stone cold teacher. "Thank you, Professor."

"Class dismissed."

Yang immediately bounded up to Ruby, who stood with Blake, shaking hands and talking. "When did you learn that stuff?!"

"Well," Ruby shied away. "Qrow did teach me how to use every part of my scythe training, but I do really like using the gun." She grinned back up. "Plus, I hate being locked in close-quarters after training with you for so long."

Yang just could only guffaw, before grabbing her and shaking her in a hug. "So cool, Ruby."

"It was very impressive." Weiss cut in from the sideline. "It's good to see how far your skills go."

"Thanks guys!" Ruby was a little warmer, cheeks flushed a little from all the praise. "Now, let's go! I'm ready for the weekend."

"Oh yea." Yang nodded excitedly. "Me too."

"It'll be nice." Blake agreed, smiling softly.

"Indeed, it'll be very relaxing." Weiss exhaled deeply. Everyone else kind of just looked at her. "What?"

"That deep breath out, Weiss, are you over working yourself?"

"No."

"Are you tired?"

"Not a lot."

"Are you using your Sunday or Saturday to properly relax?"

"There's always things to study up on-"

"Not this week!" Ruby held up a finger. "This weekend, you get the proper relaxation you need." She grabbed Weiss' scroll from her hand, waving it in her face. "Book us a spa treatment, you need it."

"Us?"

"Well, you and me I guess. Blake and Yang got their own thing going now, we might as well get a partner thing going too."

"Ruby I will not-"

"No buts, it's happening." Ruby now dragged Weiss back to the dorm. "When we get back, we'll look for a good spa. It's been a while since I've enjoyed a massage."

Blake and Yang watched from a behind as eventually Weiss managed to get her feet under her properly to walk along side Ruby. "There's an idea."

"Hmm?"

"A massage." Blake answered. "A massage would be a nice outing."

Yang suddenly groaned in agreement. "You have no idea. I love them so much."

"Not too surprising actually." Blake flicked her eyes up. "Despite being so carefree a lot of the time, you're a motherly responsible person that also has some, uh..."

"What?" Yang challenged. "I have some what?"

"...Anger issues?" Blake suggested.

"Blake Belladonna, my semblance is not an anger issue and you know it."

"It comes out as a bad temper ninety-nine percent of the time, don't deny it."

"It does not!"

"Sorry to tell you." Blake prodded more, a sly grin working across her face, amber eyes glowing. "You can always tell when you're getting close to having a freak out too."

"How's that?" Yang challenged back, tossing her mane over a shoulder before opening the door to the dorms, holding it open for Blake.

"Your eyes."

"They only turn red during my semblance."

"Not quite, a little tinge of red leak outwards from your pupils."

Yang looked quite surprised and very interested. "Really?" She clapped her hands. "That would be so cool."

"It is quite...striking." Blake admitted. "Don't see very many people with two different eye colours, never mind the both eyes sharing both colours."

"I'll have to get a picture of that."

Blake chuckled. "Getting my camera out is not the first thing that comes to mind."

The two walked from the school building towards the dorm hall. A comfortable silence came over both, Yang noticing the smile that graced Blake's face softly. "You know, you've been grinning way more than normal."

Blake's face heated up slightly, the smile growing uncontrollably bigger. "I've had excellent company these past few days."

Yang raised an eyebrow, smiling softly. "Yea, I suppose you have."

"Humble too."

"Always for you."

Yang almost couldn't believe that she was flirting to this degree. Sure, she'd always given the playful flirts to many people, creeps aside. But this... felt a little different. It was more, what, nerve racking? _Could, I be?..._

"What time are we going again?"

Yang looked back at her partner, mind quickly snapping back to reality as the trees passed while they continued to walk. "Oh, the bowling? We'll head out at nine to the alley."

Blake nodded. "Alright." A playfulness taking over her voice. "You'll be blown away."

"Only if you _strike_ me the right way."

"That was probably one of the worst you've ever made."

"Well, puns are right up my alley."

A groan emerged, along with a small smile. "Imagine what that brain power could go to instead of puns."

Yang grinned broadly. "I would but my brain is on strike."

A louder groan erupted. "And people think you're an airhead! You did that way too fast."

"I'd call myself more of a pinhead, but thanks!"

Blake sighed deeply before picking up the pace and walking away. "What a talent."

"Bowling is a talent those who have time to spare!"

A shadow clone evaporated and Blake was suddenly at the doors of the dorm, closing them firmly, a small smile gracing her features. "Good bye, Yang!"

Yang laughed, brushing her hair aside. Tonight was going to be a lot of fun.


	4. Crushes Coming Together

**AN:Here it is! Sorry it took a little longer than I anticipated, but Cookies, Camp-outs and Crushes is a wrap! Im quite pleased with this chapter, an I hope you all are as well.**

Yang upped the ante this time, opting for neon orange leggings, for the glow, meshing together with a deep grey, form-fitting t-shirt. Over that, she had a coat, brown, the insulated leather one that she'd worn last time since the cold was picking up. Walking out, she saw Blake, once again ready ahead of her.

And she also had upped her own ante, and it was _flawless_.

The raven haired faunus had opted for a loose but an immensely graceful deep dark purple long sleeve sweater, with black-as-night, curve-hugging yoga pants. Her own white and purple accented coat that she'd used last week was draped in the nook of her arm, clearly lined with it's own insulation.

"I thought I could out do you tonight, Blake, but once again you could lay out the guys with how you're looking right now."

The girl in question raised her head a smile brushing her lips. "Coming from you, that's rich."

Yang scoffed. "You kidding? Look at you! Forget the cat, you are a fox with those yoga pants on."

That brought out a rich blush. "Hilarious, Yang, but that grey top is some serious eye candy for everyone."

 _Everyone, huh?_ "Oh yea? How's it working on you?"

Blake's eyes rolled before giving Yang a clear once over. "Oh, don't you worry about me."

 _Oof._ "What, not your thing?"

"You have no idea what's my thing Yang."

"Aside from your incredible literature you mean?"

Blake ignored that, pushing off the wall. "Time to go Yang!"

"You'll need this before you go anywhere." Yang tossed her an object that Blake hadn't noticed before.

"No way."

"You betcha."

"I'm not, Yang."

"That's the condition for going on this date with yours truly."

"I'm not riding your bike."

Yang grinned wildly before wrapping an arm around the faunus, leading her away. "Don't worry, I'll take good care of you."

"Y-Yang, what, no, stop-"

"No buts, lets go!"

Yang lead the arguing faunus towards the airship where they took the trip down towards the Beacon reserved parking. The cool night air bit at their noses, tinting their cheeks and nose tips red. Approaching Yang's bike, Blake was trying her best to stop her and redirect her towards a bus. "Blake, all that time in the Fang, don't tell me you had to ride a bike as a ridiculous get away, looking badass and all."

"...Well, yea but-"

"Don't worry, speed limit it'll be, I'll double check every turn, every lane change." She grasped her best friends shoulders. "I won't let anything happen, trust me."

Looking into the lilac pools, she could only see a confidence and trust in herself. Blake sighed, resigning herself. "Fine." She slid the helmet on, a look of surprise crossing her eyes. "Yang-"

"I took out some of the padding on top for today, hope that gives more room."

"...Thanks Yang."

"Come on." Yang gave her a gentle slap on the shoulder. "Let's go bowling."

Blake climbed on after Yang, wrapping her arms around the blondes muscled core.

"Make sure you lean with the turn's, I'll take care of the rest."

Blake mumbled a response, Yang turning on the engine, drowning the faint reply. When it began to move, Blake's memories went back to the White Fang, how she had held on to Adam countless times, how he had told her the same thing when she had to ride passenger the first time. He'd seemed so much more back then. But, Yang, she left Adam in the dust, never once had Blake felt fear for her partner, never feared her. She knew that when it came down to it, Blake could trust Yang with anything. With everything.

And so, she couldn't help but relish in the sensation of being so close to her crush. Arms wrapped around her torso, her taught core feeling so comfortable against Blake's forearms. The blonde hair whipping past her head, it smelled heavenly, the scent of flowers and citrus filling her nose and warming her insides. The taller girl was just everything that Blake could have wanted in a world where she would want nothing but to settle down.

To be honest, settling down with Yang at this point sounded amazing. A future where they owned a cozy condo, with orange and purple throw pillows on a grey couch, a well furnished kitchen and a queen sized bed that was rich in warm comforters and the homely scent of flowers and citrus. It warmed Blake's heart.

"You doing OK back there?" Yang asked at a red light.

Blake nodded her head into the blondes back, her cheek pressed in between her shoulder blades.

"I knew you'd be good." Yang chuckled. Yang herself was appreciating the faunus' press against her back, the long legs of her partner brushing her hips as they rested on the passenger foot rests. The press of her partners breasts into her back brought a warming sensation to her neck and chest. _Oum, Blake, I swear, if it was up to me, I'd never go anywhere without you._

Yang guided the bike slowly around a turn, feeling Blake shift gently to turn with her. "We're almost there." Another two guided turns, with two more minutes of bliss from Blake being cozy, Yang pulled them into the parking lot of the bowling alley.

"We're here." Yang softly said after shutting down Bumblebee. The warmth of Blake was removed, replaced with the cooling evening air. "You weren't freezing were you?"

"A little chilly." Blake admitted. "But completely tolerable."

Yang turned and faced her partner as Blake removed her helmet. "Well, I'll be sure to keep you warm on the way back." Yang winked.

Blake quickly swatted Yang's shoulder before resting the helmet on the handlebars and walking towards the door of the alley. Yang gazed at the form of her partner, eyes settling on her hips. The sway rather hypnotizing before falling down to her long legs, the form fitting yoga pants only complimenting every nook of her best friend.

 _I am totally gone for this girl._ Yang was stunned at the realization. Blake, her partner, the girl who chose her in the Emerald Forest had captured more than just Yang's attention, she'd gotten a grip on her heart. Warmth exploded in her chest, little stars appearing in her vision. "Holy shit."

"Yang?"

Yang snapped her eyes back into focus, the stars clearing to show soft amber eyes glowing back at her. "Coming!"

When Yang arrived beside her friend-no, _crush_ , she flushed a little. "Sorry, got a little distracted."

Blake's concerned gaze switch to playful as the glowing orbs narrowed and an undeniable grin split her face. "Seeing something you like?"

"If you're in the room, then always."

Blake smiled widely, a pink hue climbing her neck before turning away. "Come on, let's have some fun."

Walking in behind Blake, Yang saw her partner freeze two feet in. "Uh, Blake?"

"Where are we?" Blake asked in awe. "Why have I never heard of this place?" Her eyes were wide, scanning the groups that occupied each lane. Little distinctions of each person stood out, breaking the pattern of the glowing clothes that people wore.

Yang smiled, walking ahead of Blake before facing her. "We're in the Sanctum district, primarily Faunus, and so are the business'."

Blake looked at Yang in wonder. "There's a faunus owned bowling alley?"

"You bet." Yang's smile widened. "I've heard great things about this place from Coco, never once has she heard discrimination, evil words nor a single cry."

"You-I'm..."

"You're free to be you, here, with me on our glow bowl." Yang's grin so big, her cheeks were beginning to ache.

"Yang I'm...I'm speechless!" Blake shifted her gaze from in front of her back to Yang, her golden eyes glimmering with the most radiant smile that Yang had ever seen. It held nothing back, just pure joy. "I love it!" She gestured to the whole alley. "This! This is what I've envisioned for the Faunus for so long!" She specifically gestured to the alleys that had humans and faunus playing against each other, smiles wide, laughs filling the air and a healthy spirit. "This is all I've wanted!"

Yang smiled so hard, she could hardly see. Looking down bashfully, she started to give a response. "Well-" Immediately she was cut off, as a body wrapped around hers in a hug that was so tight, she almost felt like she could have boosted her semblance. Looking down, she saw Blake, squeezing her tight, with unadulterated happiness. Yang quickly returned the embrace. "I'm glad I could have shown you this then."

Blake pulled away before gazing at the alley ways with a new form of excitement. "Come on," she turned to Yang, tugging her towards the counter. "Let's get our shoes and have some fun."

Yang's smile never left. "I knew this place would be right up your alley."

"You've never been more right." Blake was completely unfazed by the pun, her glow radiating from her smile and posture.

Once they had paid for their lane, gotten their shoes tied and picked their bowling balls, Yang's a respective blazing combo of yellow and orange while Blake's was a vibrant violet with black streaks. Then they stood at their lane. Yang flashed a smile at Blake. "Ready?"

Blake's white teeth shone in the dark as she returned the smile. "Absolutely."

Yang pressed down on the start game button, their names appearing on the player screen above and in front of them. Blake was first. "Ladies first." Yang made a sweeping gesture towards the alley.

"Glad to see chivalry isn't dead." Blake walked past, not seeing the red that was creeping into Yang's cheeks.

Yang sat down at the chairs, watching Blake approach the lane. The way her legs stood parallel at shoulder width, the yoga pants hugged the curves of her rear, tucking in and showing the strong muscles in her legs. Then, her form shifted as she stepped forward, reeling the ball back into her underhand. When she reached the start of the lane, she slid gracefully onto one knee, releasing the ball onto the lane. It started straight and true towards the pins...and then half way veered into the gutter.

Blake heard the eruption of laughter from behind her, sending pings of embarrassment through her. Turning around, she saw Yang, sitting there, holding her head. "Oh, hush!"

Yang looked up. "Y-you looked so ready, so pro, and then-" she held her hand out horizontally before diving it to the ground, a long raspberry following its motion.

"Well, good thing I'm not done yet!" Blake walked back to the ball retriever, waiting a few seconds until her ball reappeared. "This one, will be wayy better!" She felt challenged now, not willing to let her second throw, as a huntress-in-training, to go into the gutter.

Yang only watched as Blake centred herself again, before stepping forward the same way. Once the ball was released, it rolled smoothly across the floor. It reached halfway, still going true, three quarters, it veered slightly, when it reached the pins it took out the four on the left.

Blake turned, cocking her hips and a single eyebrow at Yang. _Oh my god._

Then the glow bowl lights turned on.

 _OH MY GOD._

Blake's shirt had a hidden neon colours in the purple, ones that were so delicately hidden Yang had missed them earlier. But in the black lights, they appeared, speckling the space Blake was in with beautiful combinations of pink, purple and blue. The amber eyes stared back, growing wider. Yang looked down, her leggings shining radiantly, but not blindingly. Soft and warm, yet a little dimmed, almost like they radiated heat themselves. "Wow." Yang looked back up. "Did I say you looked amazing?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, those leggings look flaming right now." Then Blake reached up, above her head, and untied her bow. "However, I wonder..."

When the bow fell away, Yang's breath was taken. The ears that Blake normally hid were practically invisible, except for the white and soft violet the lined the inside. And they looked precious, something to be very proud of, and here Blake stood, tall, confident and safe. And with her, her ears did as well, with a slight blue glowing out of them from where the black light illuminated the white fur. "Blake your ears glow as well." Her voiced hushed and in awe.

"I figured they might." Blake walked back, picking up her now returned ball. "Lets keep going."

Yang smiled at her figure as it turned back towards the lane, her face thankfully hidden, the flush in her cheeks warm with happiness. "Yeah. Lets."

The games went wonderfully, Blake laughed, ears free and stress free. She'd never been so grateful for a business in her life, not even a bookstore. She was with Yang. Yang. And they were glow bowling. God, it sounded so cheesy, but at the same time it was too much fun. She'd noticed a couple of the glances that Yang had given her, and it made her wonder. If Yang did like her the way Blake was thinking, then the world has only gotten so much better. Especially since nothing hostile had happened. There wasn't any racists, faunus nor human. No one spat words at her about her ears, no one hissed at Yang for being in the Sanctum district. It was just her and Yang, enjoying life to the fullest, and freest that they had ever experienced.  
And it only made her love Yang more. Yes, she was sure now, it was more than just a crush. When they walked through the doors of the alley, Blake knew that she now loved her partner in a romantic sense. The thoughtfulness, the care in her voice, the way she promised to keep Blake safe on her bike, the way she laughed at the little things, the way her voice sounded soft and soothing like warm honey. It was intoxicating.

Yang felt nothing but joy and bliss, and some friendly competition. Blake had managed to win the first game, Yang the second. When it came to the tie breaker, Yang won, but only because they had unfortunately run out of time. She'd been leading by fourteen points when their screen flashed back to the 'start new game' screen. The past hour and a half had been filled with laughter, with smiles and love. At least with Yang. She'd seen the reaction that had come from Blake from seeing this place existed, which was appropriately named the 'Alley Cat.' Which Yang had bust a gut from laughing about at first, but hoped it wouldn't send a wrong vibe to Blake.  
But she'd taken it wonderfully, even smiled. She'd even told Yang that not all alley cats were strays, some were domestic that just had their tours. And that this place was definitely going to become part of her tours. But before that, when they'd walked in, the pure joy that was expressed, was something that Yang never wanted to see broken. It was a face she knew she could never tire of, one that she wanted to see more.

And so, they found themselves back on Bumblebee, carefully and peacefully taking their time back to the last airship back to the grounds. The entire way was filled with Blake snuggled up on Yangs back, a smile never leaving her lips, her amber eyes closed, enjoying the scent of her partner, the wind that whipped her hair, the fresh air that filled her lungs.

Once they had pulled into the parking of the school, Yang parked her bike in the spot under her name, before the two enjoyed a comfortably quiet walk back to the bulkhead. They spent that whole ride in silence too, with Blake, who'd let loose a few shivers on the walk, nestled against Yang, soaking the warmth that radiated from her partner.

It was only when they reached the doors of the dorm that Yang stopped Blake from going in.

"Hey Blake?"

The girl in question, turned and faced her partner, some tension creeping back onto her face, her bow having been back on her head since they left the Alley Cat. "What's up?"

Yang ground her heel into the ground, chewing on her lip a little before speaking again. "I-...I just want you to know that I've really enjoyed these outing we've had."

Blake smiled warmly, gazing at the somewhat bashful boxer. "Me too. A lot. I've enjoyed them a lot."

"So...fuck it." Yang locked eyes with Blake. "I've gotta tell you, I've got a huge crush on you."

Blake only stared, her mind whirring and her heart now thumping. _It's happening._ Oh it was happening! Blake felt elated, but clearly her mind only displayed that as she watched Yang's hopeful and nervous gaze shift to awkward and disheartened.

"I'm sorry, shit, I'm sorry." Yang rambled on. "I've fucked up our night, probably all our hangouts forever, but-" Her words were cut short with something soft.

Blake had leaned out and kissed her. Blake now cupped Yang's face with the tenderness that wasn't even reserved for her own feline ears. It was a lengthy kiss, deep, soft and full of feeling. Yang folded in, leaning into Blake's kiss, the feeling intoxicating. Blake felt Yang's hands settle with one behind her head, the other in the small of her back. The kiss seemed to deepen, despite being so soft, it felt like an unending abyss of affection.

Peeling away, Blake looked at Yang, amber eyes glowing with happiness once again, like they had earlier. "If that's not obvious enough for you, Xaio-Long," Blake shifted her hands once more, still cradling the blondes face, but brushing some stray hairs out of the way with her thumb. "I've been falling for you since before we had cookies, camp-outs and your crush."

 **AN:Thank you all so much for reading!**

 **Questions or Comments, leave them down below!**

 **Any criticism, same thing!**

 **Any bee love or just regular love? Please let me hear it!**

 **Have a lovely time till the next vol for when we should be getting a good Beeunion talk, until then, keep your eyes peeled for me short stories by yours truly!**


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